Holy Hawk!

Out on our walk last night and as we passed the Coptic Church nearby, I heard a familiar squawking.  On top of the church, on top of the main dome, on top of the highest cross, sat one of the neighborhood's red tailed hawks.  Ready to swoop down on blasphemous rodents, no doubt.

First Rock Rose

First of many

Wet Dog

Afternoon delight after a good walk on a hot and windy day.

Sliced

Another morning at the podiatrist's office, another morning of getting sliced up.

Patient Dog

Waiting for dinner

Lemon Blossoms

The citrus in the backyard is all in full bloom after last week's 4" of rain.  Smelling great.  The front yard is doing good, too.....

Weekend Dog

Seven trying out the new living room carpet.

In The Weeds

Ellen sets up a shot on a creek embankment last week.

Green Screen

Doing a commercial last weekend in NYC.  We had a rollercoaster car on a gimble in front of a huge green screen.  The production will travel to the real amusement park in Europe this week to shoot the background plates.  Then marry the two images and have our star hurtling through the air at breakneck speed.

On The Lot

We were shooting a few weeks ago on one of the major Lots. Many stages painted with murals of the most famous films and TV shows. There was a bust of my favorite personality, and our stage had a very impressive provenance.

Weekend Dog

Seven enjoying an afternoon snooze on his new carpet.

Front Yard

A few more shots from the front yard on a sunny warm day.

Ice Plants Gone Wild

The purple ice plants in the front are in full bloom making for a great colorful show. The orange ones are lagging a bit.  Only two blooms from them.

Bangers and Mash

Simultaneously while relatives in Madrid were making sausages in cider, I found a British recipe and tried it in Los Angeles. Mine turned out more bangers and mash than Spanish tapas.

Proscenium

We worked last week on an amazing theatrical set.  Huge glass chandeliers hung overhead and our huge lights were hung off camera. Spotlights gave the glass a color the director called "Celery".

Filling In

The oft moved kangaroo paw finally gave up and we filled in the gap with Wilton's potted lemony Mexican bush and a small lilac near it's taller French brother.

Pride's Star

The Pride of Madeira in the front is doing great and will be blooming soon. In the backyard, we replaced the under performing lilac bush with the Pride's showy, variegated sibling, the Star of Madeira

Black Knight Takes Flax

 One of the New Zealand flax's in the front didn't fare well in the August heat.  Today we dug up the whole thing and replaced it with a Black Knight Butterfly Bush. Below is a picture of the dramatic blooms we hope to have soon.

 The few surviving bits of the flax were divided and placed in other areas of the garden. Hoping they can begin anew.

Scratched Seven

Weekend Dog